1900s. That chemical company in central
Florida was eventually purchased by the
American Agricultural Chemical Company,
which became part of the Boca Grande Land
Company, which became the Boca Grande
Corporation. Anyway, they Googled Boca
Grande and found the Boca Grande History
Center. They called and left a message; they
had never heard of Boca Grande. In the
process of talking to this family member, Jim
realized that these were rare primary source
materials, containing minutes of meetings,
letters, and other hand written items by the
original founders or ‘movers and shakers’ of
the industrial and commercial development
of Boca Grande. Prominent names and
signatures such as Albert Gilchrist, Peter
Bradley, Fouts and many others come to
life as one reads through this collection of
documents that are usually only found in
major university collections. They are like the
Magna Carta of documents regarding the
commercial development of Boca Grande.
Fortunately the family agreed to deed the
books to us, and we have them now.”
Given the signifi cance of this deeded
collection, a professional conservationist
came to the History Center to evaluate and
to explain the conservation process of the
following valuable books:
Bowker Chemical Company
Peace River Phosphate Company
Boca Grande Land Company
Boca Grande Corporate Book
Minute Book of Boca Grande Corporation
All the documents are at risk in their current
housing and refl ect a variety of damage
and wear. Some are adhered with glue,
32 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • March/April • 2021
stapled paper, clipped, or have grommets.
Some are torn, distorted or stained, thus
requiring removal from the current binding
in order to be stabilized. Jim said that BGHS
and the History Center have an obligation
to conserve and guarantee accessibility
to these rare documents. Funding the
completion of this project “raises the bar”
and prestige of the Boca Grande Historical
Society and History Center.
Thanks to the generosity of six benefactors,
the conservation project began in January
2021. “Until the conservation process began,
we followed archival procedures of wrapping
them in acid-free tissue, placing them in acidfree
containers and storing them properly
in climate-controlled storage off island,” Jim
said. “Archival procedures are costly and
ongoing, as all of our archival documents,
photos, three-dimensional items, blueprints,
drawings, books, paintings, etc. are treated in
this manner. Therefore, additional donations
to fund the archival projects are needed. At
this time we are in the process of archiving
and placing online blueprints of Boca
Grande homes and businesses, drawings,
and other gifted items.”
If anyone has any historical information or
stories pertaining to Boca Grande as it once
was, call the Boca Grande History Center
at (941) 964-1600. Because the center is
still closed to regular foot traffi c due to
COVID-19, if you would like to view any of
the information discussed here you can
contact the Boca Grande History Center and
ask for an appointment. They will do their
best to accommodate you.
This is Boca Grande’s street car in 1915!
Between 1910 and 1920 this transportation
was convenient as there were no automobiles.
Accommodating about thirty passengers,
the coach was elaborate for its time. It
was owned by the C. H. & N. Railroad and
operated on their tracks between the railroad
depot in town and the port at the south end
of the Island. Power was supplied by storage
batteries which were recharged at night.
The man in the doorway is identifi ed simply
as Mr. Ingram.